Conference USA Basketball

I think of free throws when I think of Memphis.

This season was not about any individual player missing free throws—let me make that clear.  Individually, even poor free throw shooting will not hold those individual kids back.

Pointing out that they are amazing athletes would be an understatement.  They are amazing basketball players and competitors.  They were even impressively humble in the loss.

My focus is on the free throw attitude of John Calipari—but it is sad for him too.

In what would have been a storybook year, solidifying him at the top of the list of innovative active coaches with his advanced DDM offense, he continuously downplayed the importance of free throws.

(The true test for the DDM will come next year, when it is the DDM offense without the GNR crew putting the M into motion.)

The sad thing is that this team will forever be remembered for missing free throws—and in some ways, they will not be remembered at all because they missed free throws.

I blame Calipari for that.

"You look at the numbers and say, 'They can't shoot free throws,'" Calipari said.  "That's what they zero in on.  It's almost hysterical."

"They say, 'They are so bad shooting free throws, they can't win games.'  We've been the same the last three years.  What is our record the last three years?"

"Part of the reason my teams haven't shot free throws well is the style we play," Calipari said.  "We expend so much energy on defense, being so aggressive and running so fast, that it's hard to go to the foul line, shut it down, stop, and make free throws."

"Our percentage may not be great, but we're still making more than they make," Calipari said.

Well?  Aside from that being a near-mentally-handicapped response, let's take a look just for giggles.

Looking across the top eight seeds in the NCAA tourney, Memphis is sixth in free throws made (483), never mind the poor percentage.

Also, Calipari says his team "makes free throws in the final four minutes when we need them."

Do they?  Well, I suppose that since they haven't 'needed' them—we don't have a lot of data points....

But even when they haven't 'needed' them through the year, Memphis shot about 60 percent from the line in the last five minutes of games.  Memphis missed four out of five during clutch time down the stretch in the championship game when it mattered most.

"I'm truly not worried about it," Calipari said.  "My concern in this tournament is toughness and rebounding.  That will have more to do with us than anything to do with free-throw shooting."

"We don't have anybody that has bad free-throw shooting mechanics."

Season free-throw percentages by NCAA champions

Top Five Free Throw Percentages of NCAA Tournament Winners

1. Marquette, 1977, 77.8

2. Indiana, 1987, 76.7

3. Kentucky, 1978, 75.9

4. Duke, 1992, 74.8

5. Indiana, 1981, and Florida, 2006, 74.4

Bottom Five Free Throw Percentages of NCAA Tournament Winners

1. Oklahoma State, 1945, 56.4

2. CCNY, 1950, 57.7

3. San Francisco, 1956, 60.4

4. Oklahoma State, 1946, 60.9

5. Connecticut, 2004, 62.3

Comparing this year's No. 1 seeds at the free throw line

1. North Carolina, 76.1 percent (617-of-811)

2. UCLA, 73.1 (530-of-725)

3. Kansas, 70.2 (530-of-755)

4. Memphis, 59.6 (483-of-811)

"Everybody, all they want to talk about is our free-throw shooting," Calipari said in a conference call prior to the NCAA Tournament.

John Chaney, one-time enemy and now friend of Calipari, mentioned Memphis's poor free-throw shooting to Calipari late in the season: "He said, 'You tell your guys I'll punch them in the mouth if they don't start making free throws,'" Calipari said.  "He's hilarious."

Calipari said nobody is talking about the 11 shots his Tigers blocked or their five turnovers against a Mississippi State defense that ranked second in the country in field goal percentage defense.

The Tigers and UCLA are the only teams to reach the regional semifinals in each of the last three years.  "But everybody, all they want to talk about is our free-throw shooting," Calipari said.

"It's almost to the point of, 'Do you really even know what my team does well or doesn't do well?'  Or is it because you don't know.  You just say, 'It's free-throw shooting. That's all I'm going to talk about,'" Calipari said during a conference call prior to the tournament.

"I don't know why.  I come back to the conclusion that maybe they haven't seen our team play nor do they really know, and the easy thing to talk about off the stat sheet is our free throws.  Maybe I'm wrong though."

Memphis shot 62 percent as a team last season and 68.2 percent for 2005-2006.  The number dipped to around 59 percent this season—ranking them near rock bottom among all Division I teams.

John Calipari mentioned in his post-game press conference that this was about "God's Will."

God didn't "will" him to take a free-throws-don't-matter attitude and to embed it into the Memphis system.

Mario's Miracle: April 7th, 2008

The referee hands Derrick Rose the ball for his second free throw.  He pumps the ball above his head, then takes four dribbles.  He looks at the rim, then hits the second free throw with 10.8 seconds left.  The rest of the players go to the other side of the court beside Rose, Sherron Collins, and Darnell Jackson.  

Nearly every fan, player, walk-on, coach, assistant coach, ball-boy, ball-girl, NBA scout, stadium worker, and the rest of the 43,257 people attending have stood up and turned to the court to watch this last play.  Jackson inbounds the ball to Collins, who waits for Jackson to clear out of the way.  

Sherron Collins then takes three left hand dribbles.  Derrick Rose moves up on him as if he was going to attempt to foul.  Collins fakes right then dribbles left leaving Rose chasing behind him.  Collins takes five dribbles down the court with Rose right on his tail.

When Collins gets to about the NBA three-point line, Rose is body to body with him.  Rose then holds up both his arms, which is the action players usually use to show they are not trying to foul.  

Right now Mario Chalmers is finishing his right side curl up to the three point line with Antonio Anderson guarding him.  Rose and Collins were going so fast down the court, and Rose was guarding Collins so heavily, that Collins loses control of the ball and almost turns it over.  But he then grabs it and flips it to Chalmers while Collins is falling to the ground and sliding to the right corner of the court.  

Chalmers receives Collins' shovel pass at his right shoulder with 4.9 seconds left in the game.  Derrick Rose immediately comes off Collins and onto Chalmers.  Robert Dozier leaves the lane and Darnell Jackson (who he was guarding) to come up and double team Chalmers with Rose.

6-foot-1 Chalmers takes one quick dribble with his left hand, then jumps from a little to the right of the top of the key, just high enough so the ball arcs over both 6-foot-3 Derrick Rose and 6-foot-9 Robert Dozier.  

Sherron Collins is still sitting in the corner as if he was laying down watching a movie, waiting for the ball to go in or miss.  Darnell Jackson, Brandon Rush, and Darrell Arthur are all in the lane during the shot.  Derrick Rose turns around in the air as he is contesting the shot to see if it goes in.  

The ball nearly touches Rose's and Dozier's fingertips before in falls in the net, not hitting any part of the rim.  If you watch closely, you can see that Brandon Rush yells into Chris Douglas-Robert's face after Chalmers nails the three.  At that time every Kansas fan in the Alamo Dome, and probably every single one watching that game on national television, go absolutely ballistic.

They do this for a very short period of time, because they now remember Memphis has 2.1 seconds to inbound the ball and possibly make a halfcourt shot to win the game.  Antonio Anderson, who was guarding Mario Chalmers, gets the ball and looks for someone to inbound too.  Derrick Rose calls for the ball as he is running up to the free throw line, but Anderson finds Dozier open on the left side just before half court.  

Dozier gets the ball, takes one right handed dribble and shoots it from halfcourt with Collins and Chalmers slightly contesting it.  The ball travels through the air, hits the top of the back board and the game is forced into overtime with the score tied 63 to 63.  Kansas eventually wins the game 75 to 68.

Chalmers is named Final Four most outstanding player, and his shot will be remembered as one of the best, if not the best, shots ever in NCAA history.

Just like the 2007 NCAA Championship teams, the 2008 Championship teams had multiple players get selected in the 2008 NBA Draft.  This was, for the most part, expected by many people. Memphis and Kansas were the best two teams in the 07-08 season, which usually means they have the most potential NBA talent. 

Five of the eight players selected were from Kansas University, while the other three from Memphis.  This was the most players Kansas has ever had in the NBA Draft.  

Just being in the national championship game raised all of these players' draft stock.  Memphis' entire starting line-up actually entered the NBA, but they eventually pulled out except for Dorsey (senior), Douglas-Roberts, and the first overall pick, Derrick Rose.  This is the second year in a row that the first pick was a player who played in that years NCAA championship game (Oden last year, Rose this year).  

Kansas had five graduating seniors, two which got selected in the draft with Darnell Jackson and Sasha Kaun.  The three others, who were all previous Mcdonald's All-Americans, got selected in the first 34 picks of the draft (Rush, Arthur, and Chalmers).  The only player not to get selected from KU's starting line-up was guard Russell Robinson ,who will probably play in the D-League or in Europe.  

The two teams combined had two lottery picks with Derrick Rose and Brandon Rush, and three first round picks with those two and Darrell Arthur. 

Darrell Arthur was projected much higher then where he went at the 27th pick.  Some teams said they passed on him because a problem with his kidney, but it was later confirmed again that he had no problem.  Dorsey, Kaun, and Jackson all got drafted where they were expected, with Dorsey in early to mid second round, and Kaun and Jackson in the late second round.  Both Chris Douglas-Roberts and Mario Chalmers were expecting their name to be called somewhere in the first round, but they both had to settle for the early second round.

After all the players are drafted, and everyone signs their contracts whether in the NBA, NBA D-League, or another country, this is just another NBA Draft proving that both the teams in the 2008 NCAA Championship game were the best two teams that year.  That's why these players were in the championship game and that is why they were in the NBA Draft.

Welcome to day one of the Derrick Rose-Michael Beasley rivalry. Beasley came out on top as his Miami Heat dominated the Bulls, winning 94-70. That said, this was the first of many meaningless (in terms of outcome) summer league games that the teams will play.

If you actually had the privilege to watch the game, probably streaming from NBA.com, you most likely did a double take as it looked like you were watching a Jr. High game (Because I have seen high school games of better quality). With no commentary, one camera which every time it wanted to show you the score had to be turned to the small, Rec-Center type scoreboard that is only used for the 40+ yr old leagues at night.

But with all that said, the story on Monday was the number one and number two picks going head to head for the first time.

 First impressions gave the slight edge to Beasley who scored 28 pts. and had 9 rebs. in only 23 min of action. Even more impressive was that he did that while being guarded by Bull’s potential starters Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah. Now this could very well be attributed to the lackluster defense (and probably effort) by Thomas and Noah just as well but besides what Beasley did on with the basketball his whole demeanor was just as cool as Miles Davis on an October evening. 

Before the game he looked calm and collected like he had done this all his life and on the court he looked exactly the same. So what some may view as cockiness or immaturity I am beginning to a view as confidence. The kid has all the tools to be successful in the NBA and he knows it.

Getting off of the Beasley express the pride of Chicago, Derrick Rose, wasn’t too shabby either. He shot an unimpressive 3-8 from the field and 4-8 from the line but flashed finesse and killer speed at times. Such as when he received a rebound and merely charged up court and laid it in, a sight that many Bull’s fans can’t remember a Point Guard doing (A PG who can take it to the hoop and score?! Unreal I know).  After the game Rose played his usual role of stating how bad he thought he played because his team lost. Hey Derrick here’s a clue IT DOESN’T matter 80% of your teammates for the next few weeks you’ll probably never see again.

Therein lies a conclusion that this game really has no precedent and probably has no representation of how these two young men will play this year or their career. But we have at least gotten a feel for these two player’s personalities, Beasley will be as smooth and cool as Joe Camel and Derrick Rose will be the gym freak who will put his team on his shoulders for better or for worse, always being his biggest critic. But for now let’s just enjoy the journey and rivalry that has started for these two young stars.

Other Notes:

-          It’s good to see Bull’s Coach Vinnie Del Negro coaching his team during the summer league (most coaches sit it out and allow one of their assistants to run the team). It will be good for Vinny to get some experience coaching a team….you know before the season starts.

-          The Oklahoma City NBA experience has begun as the Oklahoma City No-Names lost to the Pacers 95-78. Bigger news 4^thoverall draft pick Russell Westbrook stated that the only thing he knows so far about OKC is that “housing is a lot cheaper than LA.” Ya think?

-          I think we found Derrick Rose’s kryptonite and it’s not Michael Beasley. It’s Beasley’s teammate and Miami second round pick Mario Chalmers. Chalmers’ is now 2-0 against Rose after beating him on Monday and during the national championship.

-          I encourage you all to search summer league rosters. You never know when you might find your favorite collegian player on a team (Best of luck to Brian Randle in Oklahoma City!)

As I return from hiatus, here are five observations about the freshman graduation ceremony that was the NBA draft.

1) Though I seriously doubt Derrick Rose gets to keep his old number - lest he not get out of Chicago alive - he will improve that team immediately.  Memphis also had a bunch of egos besides his own and he meshed them together like an awesome barbecue entree at Rendezvous.  Ben Gordon could be the first bench player to average over 25 points a game and Drew Gooden's beard could provide some awesome dunks for the highlight reel, provided the family of four he's hiding in there can hold on during the thunder.

2) Jay Bilas needs to change careers from basketball analyst to special education teacher because everybody is special.  Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley and Kevin Love - I get it.  Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush?  I'll grant them a moment in the light - they won the championship.  But Maarty Leunen? OK, he lost a lot of weight on "Biggest Loser".  But I could lose a lot of weight if I had some trainer kicking my ass every day and I was motivated to get off the couch once a season.

3) The Celts won a championship so I'll cut them some slack for the Giddens pick.  Perhaps they're still nursing the hangover and Danny Ainge, having sipped something stronger than a Shirley Temple, woke up next to a nude Matt Damon who was covered in cigarette butts and Murphy's Irish Stout.  From this momentary bacchanalia came a strong desire to keep the run going.  I'm just not sure picking a Kansas reject who, while skilled, will merely hope to make it through the season without being pimp-slapped by Ray Allen was the best way to go. 

4) Phoenix's hellacious climes make it a prime residential find for seniors who complain of freezing temps when the mercury dips below ninety on their way out from Morrison's Cafe after a hearty early-bird special of creamed corn and chipped beef.  Considering they then tool out to the desert roadways in their Cadillac boats it's only fitting that the local hoops team follow suit and draft Robin "Sideshow Oscar Gamble"  Lopez who will combine with Shaq to produce a lot of 47-46 games.  George Mikan, can I get a layup?

5) Steal of the draft - Courtney Lee.  He landed with the perfect team in that he won't be the primary option but should overtake Maurice Evans somewhere down the road during the upcoming season.  At the very least he should bump J.J. Redick from the roster.  Somehow I don't think Mr. Bilas will think that's special.

It’s a hard situation but a win-win one at that.

Who do you choose?

Talented guard from Memphis, Derrick Rose; or powerful forward Michael Beasley?

That’s a tough one.

The choice of who to pick comes to the biggest question, "Whom would you want to lead your team into a new era?"

With the bulls being one of the biggest letdowns in the NBA, being projected to win the east to becoming one of the worst in the east became very fortunate when being placed the No. 1 pick right into their laps.

Opinions will differ and the real answer won’t be answered until Thursday night, but really it’s a perfect place to be in as a Bull’s fan.

I would prefer Rose for one reason which is in NBA finding a good, talented guard either in free agency or in the draft is a very difficult task. Rose was born and grew up in Chicago playing his high school ball at Simeon and told press that it has always been his dream to play for the bulls and is excited to lead this team to the promised land.

Beasley on the other hand seemed careless who picked him and really the only reason he pushes for the first pick is not, because he wants to be a bull but to be seen as the No. 1 pick and to have the satisfactions behind it.

In a new era for the Chicago Bulls it doesn’t matter whom you choose with the first pick in the draft, it’s how you execute and play as a team.

This is why I think they blew it last season, but I think having the first pick and landing with one of the two best players this year sure helps.

It's the type of decision that defines an organization for years to come.

Yet it's a nice problem to have.

The Chicago Bulls have the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft lottery and almost certainly will choose either former Memphis point guard Derrick Rose or former Kansas State forward Michael Beasley.

They say that either way the team can't lose. But that still shouldn't stop them from doing their due diligence to try and get the better player.

At Kansas State, Beasley averaged 26.2 points and an NCAA-leading 12.4 rebounds this past season. He was also listed at 6-foot-10— although speculation has been rampant that he’s probably closer to 6-foot-8.

He is a free spirit with some whispers of off the court bad news, having attended five different high schools. But he has been charged with no wrongdoing. And he can score from virtually anywhere on the court.  You can likely put him down for a double-double certainty.

On the other hand, Rose is a quiet figure who will provide on the court leadership, creating shots for Bulls players like Ben Gordon and Luol Deng, who are not very good at creating their own shots.

At Memphis, the 6-3 point guard averaged 14.9 points and 4.5 assists in his freshman season. The Bulls need a true point guard and potential leader. And the speedy and athletic Rose is from Chicago. Perhaps the best reason to select Rose is that he makes his teammates better, and would likely lure free agents to want to play for Chicago. Did someone say Dwyane Wade, also a Chicago native?

We likely won't know until we near the June 26th draft date. Rose - Beasley or Beasley - Rose? The Bulls will decide which player they prefer, leaving the other to be selected by the Miami Heat. Come to think of it, not a bad consolation prize.

Derrick Rose is going to be a sensational NBA player.

Rose has everything teams want in a play-making point guard. He can run the floor, guard very well, and just make decisions like the game rests on it. He has lightning quick speed and practically his only downfall is his outside shot which he is improving on.

Flat out, the 19-year-old kid can play.

He averaged over 20 points per game and six assists in the NCAA tournament, the biggest stage in a college player's career. He can handle the pressure he is given, as seen by his freshman performance all year long at the University of Memphis.

Just like last year's NBA draft, the No. 1 pick is being battled by two players who are just in a league of their own above the whole draft class. Michael Beasley arguably just had the best freshman year of any freshman ever, and is definitely mentioned as top collegiate Power Forwards of all-time.

But this article isn't about Beasley, it's about Rose. Rose is going to be drafted either by Chicago or Miami, and he is going to be a great player for either team.

Rose in Chicago

Rose is a Chicago native and would be a good fit with players like Luol Deng and (hopefully) Ben Gordon. He would find a lot of their perimeter players open shots and be able to run with transition players like Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha. It is all up to Chicago as to whether or not they want a Playmaking PG or a Scoring PF.

Rose in Miami

Picturing Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose on the court is surreal and would probably be one of the top NBA guard combos, comparable to the likes of Billups and Hamilton. Miami had a rough year last season, and maybe a transition game with the possible future Dynamic Duo would solve offensive problems. Players like Daequan Cook and Shawn Marion would also benefit greatly with the looks they will be getting from Rose.

Bottom Line

Derrick Rose is most likely going to be an All-Star point guard in just a few years if he continues to raise his game to the next level. Watch out, Chris Paul and Deron Williams, you might have to make room for a third.

As the endless debate about who the best selections are in the upcoming NBA draft rages on, I couldn't help but give my opinion on the consensus top two picks, Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley.

Beasley dominated all facets of the game as a freshman at Kansas State last season, leading the nation in rebounds per game and coming in third in points per game. Beasley used his combination of size, at 6'9", and athleticism to impose his will upon the college ranks. This style of play, however, is exactly what will hurt him at the NBA level.

In the pros, Beasley will not be able to overpower any power forwards, and he doesn't have the athleticism to consistently score on NBA small forwards. Even if his physical gifts were enough to star at the NBA level, Beasley's video game style of play would not get him past an NBA defense whose main objective was stopping him. He is not a selfish player, but K-State's offense revolved around throwing the ball to Beasley and letting him go to work. His incredible season was also due in part to the lack of a good supporting cast, his only meaningful complement was fellow freshman Bill Walker.

Beasley had a great year, which should not be undervalued and, to be fair, I did not get to see him play as much as I would have liked, however I do not belive he has the tools necessary to carry his dominance to the NBA level.

Derrick Rose, the freshman point guard of a high powered Memphis team that finished second only to the Kansas Jayhawks this past season, is considered by many to be a once-in-a-generation talent at the game's most influential position.

Rose combines good size and strength with his blinding speed, which is unmatched in the open court. Rose also showed that he can play with talent, his Memphis squad was loaded with future pros, and guide a team to late-season success.

His biggest weakness is his outside shooting, however it has showed promise. As the success of Chris Paul and Tony Parker (neither of whom have great outside shots) on the next level shows. point guards whose games are predicated on speed and quickness can take their teams to another level.

Rose is a play-maker with all the tools to have a great NBA career, and I, along with most other draft forecasters, fully believe that he will star at the game's highest level for years to come.

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